Proud Uncles

by The Next FamilyApril 14, 2011

By: Joey Uva

I originally had a different post for this blog entry but sometimes as we all know, things can change. I often write about being a father and my experiences along the way. Well, besides being a father, I am an uncle, and a very proud one at that.

Today my brother informed me that my niece Ashlyn, who is twelve and in the 6th grade, won her school’s D.A.R.E. essay writing contest. My niece, along with other winning students from various local schools, received a limousine ride and lunch as their reward. Ashlyn is not only a talented writer; she is a talented artist as well. In 2009 when she was in the 4th grade her school had an art contest to create the school t-shirt for the year. My niece and another girl classmate both won with their desert scenes to represent the Arizona climate. The school took both girls’ drawings and put them together to make one scene on the t-shirt and had the girls sign their names to it.

It’s nice to acknowledge in my writing as a gay man that being gay is only part of who I am and doesn’t define my total sum. I am a father, son, brother, uncle, cousin, grandchild, partner, friend, and part of a family. Today, I am letting “Proud Uncle” reside at the top of the list. Congratulations Ashlyn!!!!! We are proud of you!

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